02/17/2026
I’ve just returned from visiting my friends Ryo and Tomoko Murata (.sake) in rural, very snowy Okayama. I arrived at midnight in the middle of a huge snowstorm and woke to a white, silent landscape.
This was my second visit. The first was in 2022, when my friend Yuri Nomura () introduced me to their totally unexpected unagi restaurant in a converted farmhouse. I had previously eaten at their original restaurant in Nakameguro — which earned a Michelin star shortly after — but during the pandemic they moved to a tiny village in the countryside. The farmhouse has been transformed: the front rooms remodeled for guests, the back still their home. With only Ryo cooking and Tomoko running the front — with a particular focus on koshu (aged sake) — they can accommodate only a handful of diners. Most guests drive hours to get there. The building is utterly un-restaurant-like. In a side structure, there is a small onsen. This is where they keep their live eels.
I’ve always loved unagi, but was blown away by Ryo’s cooking. He’s completely immersed in every detail of the eel, the way they are cut and bled, the skewering and piercing of the skin before steaming, the grilling... The food was totally pared down and simple-looking, but absolutely inspiring.
Just days after my snowy visit, Ryo and Tomoko san boarded a flight to San Francisco. They arrived last Friday and will be with us, on and off, for the next few weeks. This coming Sunday, February 22, and again on Sunday, March 1, we’ll offer their full-course unagi dinner, using the whole eel from — liver, spine, fins, everything. Seating is extremely limited.
Ryo-san will also grill unagi kabayaki and sakayaki for our à la carte menu on Thursday and Friday, March 5–6.
Reserve on RESY.
We’re still finalizing the details of the course dinners, but here are a few dishes from previous visits:
– Unagi harumaki
– Grilled unagi fins, roasted bones, and liver
– Unagi with fried enoki
– Unbelievably crisp and fluffy unagi sakayaki
I’m very excited for their visit.
